There was a lively discussion over at Mike Duran’s blog last week regarding why Christians can’t agree about Christian fiction.
I chimed in a couple times, but not to add anything profound. Mostly I just watched the discussion unfold with interest. At the same time, I asked myself if the discussion was relevant to me personally.
I felt myself wondering, do I care about this discussion, or am I just fascinated by debate? Does the subject matter to me, or am I merely a rubbernecker?
On some levels, I suppose the state of Christian fiction does concern me. It must, since my current WIP probably falls into the category of inspirational women’s fiction.
My WIP also features a somewhat intimate scene between the protagonist and her husband, and somewhere in all those words (NOT during the intimate scene!) I use the word “pee” when I suppose I could have used “urine”.
The thing is, I haven’t read enough CBA fiction to know…is “pee” a “bad” word? If so, can I use the word “urine” instead? (I won’t, but could I if I wanted to?) Do CBA standards even allow the mention of a person going to the bathroom? (Because, oh yeah, there’s also a scene where my protagonist is sitting on the toilet.)
Maybe I’m too much of a realist, but I don’t mind a fictional character taking a potty break. Everybody poo’s. God created poo. (I don’t go into graphic detail in the bathroom scene, I handle it more artfully than that…but I do include sound effects from one stall over.)
See, I can’t go around bashing the CBA when I haven’t tested their products. While I don’t think Mike’s intent last week was to bash the CBA, I do think such discussions tend to gravitate that way. If I had read a good sampling of CBA fiction, maybe I could take part in the discussion and offer some helpful insight one way or the other, but unfortunately I can’t.
My novels may end up in the CBA. Who knows? I’m not ruling it out. If the CBA can’t handle an intimate scene between a husband and wife, or the mention of a few bathroom sound effects, well, my novels won’t end up in the CBA.
Do I care one way or the other? Should I care? I dunno.
Are CBA standards ever going to dictate the content of my fiction? Well, that would be my choice to make. I do know that no one will ever be holding a knife to my neck.
Maybe when I don’t have a toddler and a six month old, I’ll be able to consider these philosophical questions more intently. As it is, I have four modes: Go, Produce, Eat, Sleep. Ponder isn’t one of them. Not because I don’t want it to be…I just don’t have time to stop and think. 🙁
Did you observe or take part in the discussion over at Mike’s blog last week? If so, do you feel the discussion was relevant to you? Should Christians be concerned about the state of Christian fiction?
Jessica,
After reading your post, I traveled to Duran’s website and read it all. Were their winners and losers? No, that wasn’t Mike’s intent and instead there were good discussions and an honest, open dialogue where each side could share without being attacked by the other? (by and large)
Many spiritual views on what these writers/readers are called to do was brought up and it brought me back to the scriptures and the twelve disciples. You remember them don’t you. Slugs, loudmouths, outcasts and generally not really acceptable citizens in the theological world of Judaism. After three years of training, they were much better, but still carried some of the basic traits they brought into the classroom of Jesus when they were first selected (yeah, they were his first choice…who he was after).
Each brought different skill sets and keys to unlock the hearts of those they encountered (led by the Holy Spirit) and in the end they shared as they were led and equipped by their stint with the Lord. Same for writers today who should just write as led by the Lord and let the seeds fall where they may (thorns, rock and good soil). If our “Christian fiction is accepted…praise God. If not…shake the dust off your sandals and move on to the next place where you share what you’ve written or said, being led by the Lord. Simple, but it’s worked well for several thousand years and probably will be OK until He returns…Ah yes, the return.
Keep on writing Jessica.
Great points, Kent. I like that you brought up the disciples. The four gospels read differently, but they all serve good purposes.
I agree, definitely a good discussion over at Mike’s blog. I suppose the little thing that’s been bothering me is that it’s not about the debate. We can easily get lost in the discussion and the talk, but all that takes us away from our true purpose of sitting on our butts and writing what God is itching us to write…not second guessing ourselves and worrying about whether we’re doing things the “right way” or the “wrong way”, or necessarily thinking ahead of time about where our words will eventually “fit”.
Some of the rub has to do with whether the work we slave over will have a venue because, right now, the CBA is limited. I’ve already decided to skip the CBA and go w/ mainstream/small press/self-pub. I don’t know which yet. Just watching to see which way the wind blows.
BTW, I admit I love debates and/or arguments. I don’t think I could live w/o that outlet!
The independent press is looking like a pretty inviting option, if I were so lucky.
Me too, I guess I’m a sucker for a good debate. 🙂
Jessica, thanks for the mention! Like Jill above, I sort of thrive on discussion and debate, and have little problem remaining friends (at least friendly) with people I disagree with. I don’t feel I have to rebut every contrary position, as there is often validity in them. However, I received a fare share of backlash from that post (see Becky Miller’s Holiness Is Not a Dirty Word). All that to say, sometimes I need to remember that people approach debate a lot less nonchalant than me. Once again, thanks for the link!
Heh heh, I’m one who doesn’t take disagreements personally, so I have to remember to back off sometimes. With my two little munchkins I really don’t have the brain power to join the debate, but I did enjoy watching. When you wrote that post, you probably thought it seemed so harmless. 🙂